


First Touch

by allyhg



Category: Rise (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, M/M, mostly siremy but some cute mentions of gwenette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 08:18:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14828706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyhg/pseuds/allyhg
Summary: An AU in which everyone has a timer that counts down to the moment you first touch your soulmate, which has our boy Simon hella stressed





	First Touch

**Author's Note:**

> I think we're all dying for some content rn so here's my contribution, sorry if it sucks! Let me know what you think!

Simon watched as the mark on his wrist flickered, the ink changing from 34:00 to 33:59. He took a shaky breath. In one day and 10 hours, he’d touch his soulmate for the first time.

He’d seen this happen to friends before; only a few weeks ago Lilette had eagerly awaited her meeting. Every day, she told Simon the story of first running into Gwen in rehearsal; how it had felt for her timer to finally reach 0, despite getting off to a rocky start with her soulmate. 

Part of him was excited to find his other half. For years he’d been wondering who she’d be, what she’d look like, what her interests were. He wondered if he’d met her before, or if she’d be someone he’d never seen before. There was really no way to know for sure until the timer on his skin read 00:00. 

Through the excitement, however, Simon was terrified. Not every soulmate story was as simple as everyone hoped they would be. Sometimes, a relationship can feel perfect without the timer reaching 0, and he’d heard stories of people marrying someone without their timers running out, believing their love defied the countdown. He also knew the very real possibility of being disappointed by finding out who she was, or worse, his soulmate being disappointed by  _ him. _

“Simon, breakfast!” his mom yelled from downstairs, snapping him out of his thoughts. He quickly swung his bag over his shoulder and slid his black band over his wrist, hiding the timer, then headed out the door and down to the kitchen.

“Good morning,” his mom said with a bright smile. His parents both had bands around their wrists, as most people did. Some chose not to wear the bands; wanting to wear their 0 with pride, letting everyone know they were happy with their partner. Most married couples did this, the dark circle on their skin proclaiming their contentment with their spouse. He wanted to ask about it, but he knew that was off-limits. It was like an unwritten rule to never ask about someone’s timer, it was just too personal, too intimate, especially when they intentionally kept it covered up.

“I’m, uh, I’m running late. I should probably get going,” he said hurriedly, grabbing a granola bar from the pantry and flashing a small smile to his mom, who was serving breakfast to his sister.

“Okay, have a good day honey!” his mom exclaimed with her usual cheerfulness. His dad continued to read the paper, never looking up to say hello or goodbye. Simon didn’t mind, he’d never been very close with his dad, anyway.

The drive to Lilette’s house was quiet, but his thoughts echoed loudly in his head as he continued to worry about meeting who was apparently the love of his life. Within a few minutes, he’d arrived, and texted her that he was there. Several seconds passed before he saw the door swing open and Lilette walk towards the car, a bounce in her step.

“Well,  _ someone’s  _ happy today,” Simon teased as his friend opened the car door and sat in the passenger’s seat, a smile plastered on her face.

“You’re not wrong,” she replied, beaming. “Gwen and I talked for a while last night, and…” she rotated her arm to show Simon the exposed ink on the inside of her wrist.

“No way! No bands?” he asked, baffled at the idea. Previously, Gwen hadn’t wanted anyone to know about their relationship, despite Lilette’s longing to reveal their partnership to the world. “How’d you convince her?”

“I didn’t, she came to me! She called me last night and said she changed her mind!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Can you believe it?”

“Barely,” he replied, remembering how impossible it had seemed the past few weeks. “Seriously though, I’m happy for you.”

She responded with a smile, burying her face in her hands and suppressing a squeal of excitement. She looked out the window for a minute, a smile plastered on her face, before she suddenly gasped loudly, whipping her head around to look at the boy next to her, who appeared to be focused on driving.

“I’m awful, oh my god!”

Simon didn’t reply, only shooting a confused look towards Lilette.

“How much time is left on yours?” Lilette was the only person who he’d shared his timer with, and he was the only one who knew about hers (at least, until Gwen came along). There was no restraint when asking about the timers in this friendship, despite the common courtesy to never ask about someone else’s countdown. They’d been inseparable since the second grade, back when their numbers were far too high for them to count. They both trusted each other more than anyone, and they were grateful to have someone to share this with.

Simon gave her his hand, and she pulled the band back to check the time. “Tomorrow at…” she quickly calculated in her head before continuing. “5:27, that’s during rehearsal!” she exclaimed as if Simon hadn’t been anticipating that exact minute’s arrival for months. “I wonder who it is… do you have any guesses?” she asked excitedly.

“Not a clue, I just hope she’s nice,” he said with a sigh as he pulled into his parking space and turned off the car. Lilette was unusually quiet for a moment, unsettling Simon.

“Si, I don’t want to freak you out, butー”

“Oh my God, is there a bug on me?” he blurted out, swatting at his hair and arms.

“No,  _ no _ , Simon, oh my God, stop,” she giggled before returning to her serious tone. “For real though, Simon, do you- I mean, I justー”

“Come on, spit it out, we’re gonna be late,” he chuckled nervously.

“Are you sure your soulmate will be a girl?” The car filled with silence, the only noise being the faint chatter of students as they headed inside the building.

“You think I’m gay?”

“Not necessarily, I’m justー”

“Because I’m not. I’m not gay, Lilette, why would you say that?” He could feel himself getting louder, becoming more and more angry at that accusation. He didn’t want to yell at her, but something took over him. He just couldn’t help it.

“Si-Simon, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything, I justー”

“You just what?”

“I justー” She sighed. “I know I told you I was surprised my soulmate was a girl, but I wasn’t. I knew that possibility was there, I’ve had the suspicion for years. I-I just, you got this defensive when I  _ mentioned  _ the possibility of yours being a boy, I don’t want you to convince yourself otherwise if you know, deep down, there might be a chance. I just don’t want you to be disappointed.” They sat in silence for a moment, Simon blinking back tears. Of course he had known the possibility, and of course she’d considered it. He didn’t know why he ever thought she wouldn’t notice the same things he had about himself, she knew him too well.

“I-I’m sorry I brought it up. I shouldn’t have,” Lilette said softly, looking down at her shoes.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have,” he said angrily and got out of the car, slamming the door behind him and walking quickly towards the school.

“I’ll see you later!” she called after him, more of a question than a goodbye.

“Yeah,” he muttered under his breath, even though he knew she wouldn’t hear. He didn’t  _ want _ to be mean to her, but the moment she brought this up, his blood began to boil. He didn’t exactly know why the moment those words were said aloud, tears began to rush to his eyes. He’d questioned his heterosexuality hundreds of times in his head, always brushing it off and telling himself it was irrelevant, that he was overthinking it. Knowing that someone else had begun questioning his identity felt like the air had been knocked out of him; maybe he wasn’t overthinking, after all.

_ No, stop. You’re straight. Your soulmate is a girl and your parents will be proud of you. You’re normal.  _ He did his best to convince himself of his normality and calm himself down as he grabbed his books from his locker. As he headed down the hallway, the cast list for Spring Awakening caught his eye. He was excited about the show, even if his parents weren’t as thrilled. Playing Hanschen didn’t do much for his worried thoughts, but he could sense this show was going to be different than any show they’d done before. Plus, his soulmate was almost guaranteed to be in the show, since they’d first touch during rehearsal. The question of who they were fluttered around Simon’s head all day, as it had for months prior.

 

“Alright everyone, we have some new cast members to welcome,” Mr. Mazzu announced loudly, the students’ conversations tapering out.

“First, Jeremy Travers, who will be our Ernst.” The troupe clapped to welcome him, and Simon’s head whipped around to look at the new boy behind him. Jeremy stood up, giving a small wave and a smile before sitting back down. Simon had been eagerly awaiting finding out who his scene partner would be, he  _ would  _ have to kiss him, after all, and he definitely wasn’t disappointed in the actor that had been chosen. He vaguely heard their director mention someone named Michael, but Simon couldn’t focus on the news, instead staring at the blond boy who was fidgeting with the hem of his flannel. Jeremy looked up at Simon, meeting his eyes.  _ God,  _ those eyes. Simon felt his stomach flip and his face flush, looking away quickly.

“Hey, are you okay?” Gwen whispered from the seat next to him.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“You look terrified,” she chuckled. Simon only laughed shallowly in response, not knowing what to say. If he was being honest, he  _ was  _ terrified. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a more attractive boy in his life, and pretty soon they’d have to kiss on stage. He didn’t know if he could handle it.

“So, uh, no bands?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

“No bands,” Gwen replied, beaming and looking down at the ink on her wrist. She knew Lilette would have told him, and she didn’t mind too much. Knowing that her girlfriend had been gushing about her to her best friend was a good feeling, and Gwen couldn’t deny that she’d been gushing to Jolene about her girlfriend, too. 

Simon couldn’t wait until he would be talking to Lilette about his soulmate. Yes, they fought this morning, but he knew things would be back to normal soon enough. He checked the clock on the wall. 5:39. In less than a day he would know. He looked around at the troupe, wondering who it could be. 

“Okay everyone, let’s start running some songs!” Mr. Mazzu announced, clearly excited about his new job. He summoned the girls on stage to run Mama Who Bore Me Reprise, while the boys stayed in their seats and looked over their lines.

Lilette caught his eye on her way to the stage. She offered a small smile and he gave one in return. He could tell she was hesitant from their conversation that morning, and he felt guilty to have snapped at her like that. It was just a subject that irritated him, with his family’s beliefs and all. Besides, Simon liking a boy was a crazy thought, he could neverー

Suddenly he noticed a figure standing in front of him. He looked up and his heart jumped.

“Hey, uh, it’s Simon, right?”

“Y-yeah.” 

“I’m Jeremy, I just- I thought I should probably introduce myself since we’re, umー”

“Yeah, no, that’s probably a good idea.” Simon chuckled, wanting desperately to be as close to him as possible, suppressing the voice in his head telling him to stop.

“Uh, can I sit here?” Jeremy asked, running his fingers through his hair, accidentally making it stick up on the side. Simon nodded and smiled ear to ear, gesturing to the seat next to him. Jeremy sat down and twiddled with his script, glancing over at the other boy before quickly looking away. His bright smile, his dark eyes, he just couldn’t believe that such an attractive person existed. 

“I can’t believe they’re letting us do Spring Awakening,” Jeremy said, breaking the silence between them and turning to watch the girls on stage.

“Yeah, I know. Me too.”

“I mean, some of the stuff in here… it’s pretty intense.”

“Yeah, that’s for sure. Definitely different than Grease.”

“I like this one better anyway,” Jeremy stated, turning his head towards Simon. “I mean, these stories are real. They should be told, you know?”

“My parents disagree,” Simon replied, chuckling shallowly and looking down, playing with the zipper of his sweatshirt.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean toー”

“No, i-it’s okay. You’re right. I just wish my parents thought you were right, too.” Simon looked up and met the other boy’s eyes.  _ God, they were gorgeous.  _ Simon decided that if he could only see one color for the rest of his life, he’d want it to be that beautiful grey-blue he saw in Jeremy’s eyes. 

Simon absentmindedly rolled his script up in his hands. Both boys were very aware of the other gazing deeply into their eyes, but neither looked away. Simon felt like he could stare at Jeremy for hours, despite his father’s voice echoing inside his head.

“Boys,” Mr. Mazzu began to announce, making Jeremy and Simon tear their gazes away from each other quickly to look forward, “let’s run All That’s Known.” The boys got up from their seats, scripts in hand, and went to the stage.

The rest of rehearsal ran smoothly; the show seemed to be off to a good start. Simon and Jeremy exchanged glances throughout, usually accompanied by a small smile from one of them and the other boy blushing in return. 

By the time rehearsal was over, everyone was in a good mood. It was clear this show was something special, something everyone was excited to be a part of. 

At 7:30 they were dismissed, and a buzz of conversations between friends filled the air. 

“Hey,” Lilette approached Simon hesitantly. He zipped up his backpack and turned to face her.

“Hi,” he replied, offering a small, friendly smile.

“Look, about this morning, Iー”

“It’s okay, I’m sorry I went off like that. I just got really worked up andー”

“But I shouldn’t haveー”

“Lil, seriously, it’s fine,” he reassured her, grabbing her shoulders and staring at her intently. “We’re okay.”

“Okay,” she sighed, smiling ear to ear.

“Do you need a ride home?”

“Actually, um, Gwen was going to drive me…” she trailed off, her face turning pink but the smile never fading.

“Oh really?” Simon teased, laughing at his lovestruck friend. She playfully hit his arm as Gwen approached.

“You ready?” Gwen asked.

“Y-yeah. Let’s go.” Lilette reached for the other girl’s hand and their fingers intertwined.

“Have fun, you two.” Simon winked and Lilette glared at him, her face turning red. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Lilette.” He laughed, deciding to leave her alone for now. They made a cute couple, and his heart soared to see his best friend so happy. He hoped his soulmate was as perfect a match for him as Gwen was to Lilette.

“Hey.” That voice sounded familiar. Simon whipped his head around to look at him and his heart jumped at the sight of blue-grey eyes and blond hair.

“H-hi.”

“You, uh, you were really good today. I mean, you’re an amazing singer.” Simon’s stomach flipped.  _ Jeremy complimented him.  _ More importantly, Jeremy had been paying enough attention to Simon during rehearsal to notice. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

“Thank you. Um, you too.” Simon could feel his face flushing as Jeremy smiled, his eyes crinkling up. When he smiled, it really lit up his entire face, and it made Simon feel like his heart was exploding.

“Do you want a ride home?” Simon asked quickly before he could think it through.

“Yeah, sure,” Jeremy replied, grabbing his bag off the ground. Simon’s eyes were instantly drawn to the pin on the strap of his backpack.

“I-I like your pin,” Simon said, pointing to the colorful flag.

“Thanks,” Jeremy replied, beaming. They made their way to the doors, both waving goodbye to friends before leaving. The two boys walked to the car, hands by their sides. Jeremy desperately wanted to reach out and grab Simon’s hand, but after his comment about his parents earlier, he figured it’d be better to wait. Besides, this was only the first day they’d met, despite how strong their connection had felt.

“So, um, where’s your house?” Simon asked.

“Just left out of here and then right. It’s pretty close,” the other boy responded and they continued to walk through the parking lot.

“So, uh, have you done a show before?” Simon asked, unlocking the car.

“No, this is my first,” Jeremy replied, putting his backpack at his feet and sitting down, closing the door behind him. He reached down to search for something in his bag as Simon started the car, and soon pulled out his phone and sat upright again.

Simon looked over at the other boy and noticed his band had begun sliding down his wrist, exposing some of the ink. Jeremy didn’t seem to notice and continued typing something on the screen. Simon tried not to look, he really did, but he couldn’t help it. The top half of the numbers were showing and it looked almost as ifー

Simon gasped louder than he thought, quickly tearing his sight away from his wrist and facing forward again.

“Is everything okay?” Jeremy asked, concern in his voice.

“Yeah, sorry,” the other boy replied, chuckling lightly to minimize suspicion.

“Sorry, I was just texting my mom. She told me to tell her when rehearsal was over.”

“You’re fine,” Simon replied. “Um, I was just wondering, uh, what were your parents’ reactions?” He instantly regretted asking. What if he was only an ally? What if the pin didn’t even mean what he thought it did? Even so, if it  _ was  _ what he thought, he had to be crazy to ask someone he  _ just met  _ about their coming out experience. I mean, what kind of idiot would--

“To Spring Awakening? They weren’t crazy about it, obviously, but they’ve wanted me to be more involved in school stuff for a while, so they were just happy I wanted to audition.” 

_ Oh, thank God.  _ Jeremy hadn’t answered the correct question, but Simon was grateful to avoid what he could only assume would be an awkward conversation.

“Oh, that’s good. What made you want to audition?”

“I’ve always kind of wanted to be in drama, I was just always too nervous to try it. Plus, I didn’t really want to do the other shows you’ve done the past few years. No offense, they were just so…” Jeremy trailed off, searching for the right word, before giving a breathy laugh and continuing. “I don’t know. Spring Awakening is just… different than the others. It’s real. It’s important. You know?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“It’s, uh, this one on the right,” Jeremy pointed out the window as they approached his house and Simon pulled into the driveway. “Thanks for the ride,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah, sure, anytime.”

Jeremy started to get out of the car, grabbing his bag and opening the door. He stopped for a moment and turned around to face the other boy again.

“Hey, um, I’m really happy you’re my scene partner,” he said hesitantly.

“Y-yeah, me too.”

“I’ll see you at rehearsal tomorrow,” Jeremy said before getting out of the car, closing the door, and heading towards his house.

_ Rehearsal tomorrow. _ Simon abruptly tore his band off his wrist, staring at the ink that had consumed his mind.  _ 21:43 _ . His heart pounded in his ears, his hands shaking. He felt dizzy, but tried to shake it off, starting the car again and backing out of the driveway. His hands gripped the steering wheel, making his knuckles turn white. 

Simon continued the drive to his house, trying not to think about how his father might react if he had seen his son’s behavior today. He pushed away the thoughts of what would happen to his life if Lilette had been right about who his soulmate would be. And, most of all, he tried to erase the memory of the ink on the other boy’s wrist, and how Jeremy’s numbers had matched his own.

 


End file.
